One of the most important things any nonprofit needs is to raise money to support their programs. I always speak about having a big vision and, when possible, growing to scale. It always takes money to make these things happen.
What’s great about fundraising in today’s world is that you don’t only have to rely on the people on your list. You can prospect and ask for support from those who may have interest in your cause by using multiple techniques, including social media. A platform that many charities are using is Facebook. Another one is YouTube. Both provide resources to nonprofits to help them use each respective platform effectively.
If you’re looking to implement a fundraising campaign that raises a lot of money, there are some strategies you should always keep in mind.
- Let people know what your financial goal. I’ve seen hundreds of campaigns on Facebook, and one of the things I’ve noticed is often missing is the goal. What is the amount you want to raise? Put it out there. Help people understand the financial need you have and let supporters and others know how much you need to raise toward that goal.
- Fundraisers know that you have to build in urgency into any campaign. If you have only 30 days to raise the money, let people know. It doesn’t matter how long your campaign is – days or months – people need to understand when your campaign is supposed to end. Keep in mind that you’ll likely see momentum in terms of gifts from your most active supporters on the front-end. A lot of donations come in as you get to the end of your campaign as well in advance of the deadline because people see a deadline closing.
- Use images. The fact of the matter is we live in a visual world. Digital marketing and social media are all about conveying a lot in a picture or video. Use that to your advantage. Take hundreds of pictures related to your campaign. Curate those pictures or video and present the best in varying ways. This can include pictures or video links in emails or social media art. Tell your story with pictures as well as with words.
- Give your supporters an understanding of outcomes. Recently I spoke to someone at a nonprofit and this person told me it was difficult to get “the numbers” about impact in their charity. Really? Why should anyone support your organization if you can’t get a handle on how the money is impacting the cause? Be as specific as possible. How many people will be served? How many doses of medication can you supply? How many loaves of bread can you give? How many whales do you intend to save?
- Make a specific ask or call to action. Would $10 help you? Would $20 help? I realize every dollar helps, but how many people giving you $10 or $20 would it take to achieve your goal? Are you seeking 100 people to teach kids how to read after school? Whatever it is, thread that into your call to action. Being specific with a call to action, especially asking for money, gives people a minimum they should consider donating. Some will give more and others will give less, but by providing people with a specific request, you give supporters a frame of reference.
- Don’t simply send out one appeal or make one post and then forget it. You have to keep at it consistently. Let donors and others know what’s happening in your campaign in multiple ways. Send updates via email and social media posts. You can write articles about it on your blog and post those pieces. You can create social media art and offer a fantastic image with statistics of what you do and the link to your campaign donation form. You can ask supporters to please share your campaign with their circle of friends. There’s a lot you can do to keep your campaign top of mind. Be persistent in reminding people of the campaign.
- Get your donation form in shape. If people have to jump through hoops to make a donation to your organization, here’s the scoop – you will be turning donors off and some won’t give. Make donating simple and easy. There’s a line of thinking that you should require only the absolute minimum from people when making a donation. It makes sense. You want to lower the barriers to giving. Additionally, if you are leading people to your site, make your donate button exceedingly easy to find and always have it present no matter where someone goes on your website.
